Ssssssnakes!

On days it is raining outside we add a little more gross motor play like this fun jungle toss.

Ever feel like there was a monkey on your back ?

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.

We can practice our writing with fun cards that have words on them.

Roar like a lion ! Ok.. a sweet smiling lion...

Dillion is acting out the 5 monkeys song !

The boys are using their legs as drums to an african beat .

For other gross motor we played a game called " We Can Move."

Remember the plates we painted green yesterday ? Today we made snakes with them .

Audreys pretty picture .

We will finish the day with snake breadsticks and milk.... made by our short chefs !

Christmas around the world

Mondays are usually always hectic but it is a GOOD kind of hectic. Lots going on today. It is wonderful to look around the room and see them so engaged in what THEY want to do.

At first glance one might not think there is a lot of learning going on, but OH THERE IS. Look at this first picture of the shape tiles spread over the floor.

Then you look closer and see how the kids are exploring putting them together to make different things. They are making patterns. They are figuring out space and how things fit together. They are problem solving together.

Small group today was a math activity. We took our numbered Christmas trees and places the number of presents on it that was indicated.

And it was muffin tin Monday!

Lots of goofy play going on by the boys but hey.. they werent fighting and they had to practice cutting to get that " girl hair " to fit right !

This week I am centering our learning around Christmas and how different countries celebrate it. Today we talked about France. We listened to " Jingle Bells" in French and we looked a various pictures of Yule Logs. Then... we made one for snack. It doesnt look too hot but I bet it is yummy. That is made out of a twinkie and chocolate icing. We also talked about the tradition they have in France of putting their shoes under the tree and when they wake up there are small toys, nuts or candy in them. I totally wanted them to do that at nap time and forgot. Bummer...

Tortillas!

First thing this morning we had a visit from a WITCH! Malea's mom was dressed up for a function at work . The kids were quiet at first but loved seeing her.

Here are some of the activities I had out on the table today. Things that are homemade and the kids enjoy.

Make a puzzle from the front of card board food boxes !

Tongs to transfer .

Leaf prints !

Homemade matching game with stickers

Cohen found a party hat !

Little Halloween bowls labeled with numbers. The kids sort small toys into them.

Stenciling

Matching fall colored paint chips from walmart

Coupon matching

Rosannas mom came to make homemade tortillas today. She was so good with the kids and even taught them some spanish.

RosaMaria read us a book in Spanish !

Chinese New Year

What a very fun day! If our QA person would have come today , they would have been impressed! The day started out with Anna's dad, Jason, stopping in to visit and make origami with the kids. I knew Anna had brought some in before so thought that adding this would be perfect today! The kids loved it. He made cranes, bears and dogs. In between this art, he had several request to make airplanes. Jason was a real trooper and made whatever the kids wanted. He even let them play with his paper and make snowflakes - and hardly flenched when one of the kids kept trying to stick the paper airplane tip into his ear. :) Thanks Jason!

Our lunch today was fried terayaki rice with chicken, brocolli and carrots. The kids were intense as they tried their best to eat with the chopsticks. Many of them did a GREAT job. What I found interesting was two of the children that usually eat very little , ATE A LOT ! Maybe we should try chopsticks everyday! And wasn't I surprised to look down and find A's on the table. Always learning... We also had fortune cookies as dessert .










Other things we did today was play in the dress- up room that has had chinese cultural items all month long. Katie looks like a real little girl from China in her costume. We also learned that this year is the " Year of the Tiger." Our weekly reader was about Tigers! How PERFECT! Then of course, we had to take out the tiger puppets and costumes .







We practiced our scissor skills by making chinese lanterns. After she was finished Anna said " it's just like the lantern in the playroom" and went to find the orange one ! I love it when they connect the dots.















We also read a story called " A Tiger Came to Dinner " and one about a red dragon.

Good times today... good times...

( On a side note - I told the kids this story. On December 31 9 years ago in Greenville Mississippi Randy and I were celebrating the New Years at a Chinese Restaurant. They were having karaoke. Randy went up to sing a song for me. As he started singing the waitress brought me a fortune cookie. I said thanks and she asked me to go ahead and open it. I did. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring and Randy asked me to marry him. Now, every time I open a fortune cookie I think of that night. The kids commented that they had NEVER opened a cookie and found a ring. :)